Fire-escape



(No Model.)

N. J. POWELL.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 306,520. Patented Oct. 14, 1884.

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NEXVMAN J. PUWELL, OF PONTIAC, ILLINOIS.

. TIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 306,520, dated October 14:, 1884.

Application filed June .23, 1884. (No model.)

' citizen of the United States, residing at Pentiae, in the county of Livingston and State of lllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

My invention relates to fire-escapes of the class to which belongs the escape shown in my Patent No. 291,001, granted December 25, 1883; and it consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is an end view of my escape,the retaining-ring, clutch-disk, and guide-bracket being removed. Fig. 2 is a side view of the device. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the fixed drum; Fig. i, a detail view of the guide-bracket; Fig. 5, of the brakecarrier; Fig. (5, ofthe governor-arm; Fig. 7, ofthe roperetaining ring; Fig. 8, of the clutch-disk.

The fixed drum A is adapted to be secured at one end to a suitable support, and may, when desired, have a plate, a, at such end perforated by screw-holes ct, to facilitate the securing of the device to such support. A shaft or spindle, A, is extended beyond the outer end of the drum suflicientlyfar to receive and support the brake-carrier hereinafter described. I by preference make the drum hollow and extend the spindle into same to its end, so as to furnish alonger bearing for the brake-carrier and to more firmly support same. The brakecarrier B is formed with the tubular box b,provi ded with opening b and fitted on the spindle. At the outer end ofthis box-flange b is extended radially beyond the said box and slightly beyond the fixed drum when the parts are in position, as will be understood from Fig. 1. From the outer edge of this flange pivot-pins c c are extended inward in the direction of the boxing Z). These pins are designed to serve as pivots for the brakearms, and one of the pins is made longer than the other, so the arms will be held in different vertical planes.

Vhere desired, however,the pins may be made the same length, and the arm is held in the same plane under conditions more fully explained hereinafter; or the pins might be dispensed with and the arms pivoted direetlyto the end plate. In either case they would be pivotally supported to the flange, as will be understood more clearly in the light of the following description. The arms I) are pivoted at their inner ends to the pins 0 c, and may have their outer ends weighted inorder to in crease their centrifugal force. N ear the inner or pivoted ends of these arms are formed hooks d. or other construction, whereby the friction-band may be secured thereto. This band E is preferably a narrow strip of spring metal, secured at its opposite ends to the arms D, near the pivot of said arms. This connection maybe made in various ways; but in practice I prefer to provide the extremities of the brakeband with loops or eyes 0, which are caught over the hooksd, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2. The band is wound several turns around the fixed drum, so that when the arms are thrown out by the centrifugal force as the brakecarrier is revolved, the band is tightened on the fixed drum and the brake action is applied to the extent of the degree of speed at which the carrier is revolved, as will be understood. If the brake-arms be attached directly to the flange ot' the carrier and in the same plane, the friction-band will only pass partly around the fixed drum.

in operation, if the carrier is revolved in the direction indicated by full line shown in Fig. 1, the arm adjacent thereto will be thrown out and cause the band to tighten on and brake the device, and, if revolved in the opposite direction, the other arm will be thrown out, as will be readily understood. Thus the direction of rotation of the carrier can be alternated without affecting the brake of same, rendering the device reversible in the manner hereinafter more fully described. The outer end of the carrier is provided with teeth F, separated as shown, and a short tubular extension, F, which serves to support the clutchdisk. This disk G is placed and keyed on the part f, and has on its inner face teeth 5 which alternate with teeth F, and project between said teeth in such manner, as shown in Fig. 2, that the rope H will cause said parts to revolve when drawn from either end. The parts G and F, it will be noticed, form the pulley which is revolved by the escape-rope, and while I prefer to form these parts separately, as shown and described, it is manifestthey might be formed integral when so desired. The teeth are preferably beveled, as shown in Figs. 5 and 8, so that the rope will readily pass off tangentially therefrom. The ring I is fitted over and between the teeth F and holds the cord or rope H in contact with said teeth except at the bottom,where the opening 1' of the ring is extended radially at t, and per mits the rope to escape therefrom and pass downward. It will be noticed that the rope is held by the construction described in contact with the brake for almost the entire circumference thereof, so that the revolution thereof and the attendant automatic braking is assured. The lower end of the ring I is provided with an aperture, 1, through which a brace-stud is projected, as will be presently described. The outer end of the spindle A is extended beyond the carrier B, and the guide-bracket J is sleeved, at J thereon, and keyed thereto preferably by a pin, K, passed through openings 9' A in, respectively, parts J and A. This bracket J extends downward, and is provided near its lower end with an inwardly-projccted stud, which is car ried through the opening I in ring I, and serves to hold said part down in position proper to retain the rope in contact with its clutch-pulley, as is desirable. The lower end, J, of the bracket J is extended outward, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and is provided with rope-openings J J through which the opposite ends of the rope are passed, as shown in Fig. 2. This is preferred, because thereby a greater friction is given to the rope but, where desired, the rope may be allowed to depend vertically from the pulley.

It will be understoodthat instead ofjonrnaling the brake-carrier provided with the ropepulley on a shaft extended from the fixed drum, as is preferred, the said carrier and attachment might be separately supported adjacent said fixed drum, so the band E would encircle and engage thereagainst in the operation of the device. It will also be understood that the form of brake-arms before described will give good results if the rope be wound on and secured at one endto the pulley, which in such case mightbe madesmooth; but I prefer to use theconstruction shown,because when one end of the rope has been carried to the ground by an escaping person and other end is near the escape, this latter end may be used for the next person, thus avoiding the necessity of winding the rope onto the pulley, and enabling a number of persons to escapein less time than where such rewinding is necessary.

By making thefriction-band of spring metal it prevents the governor from applying the brake with too great force to the fixed drum, and also obviates the binding of the rope on the drum, and the suspension of the escaping person in mid-air, as when this revolution of the carrier ceases the expansive tension of the band draws the brake-arm inward and releases the brake, as will be understood. I prefer to use both governors, because thereby the device may be reversed, as before described; but it is manifest that one would give good results, in which use it would be necessary to secure one end of the band to the carrier. By extending the outer ends of the two brakearms in opposite circumferential direction one is brought into play with each direction of rotation of the rope-pulley, and it will be appreciated that instead of usingasiugle brakeband and securing its opposite ends to said arms a separate band might be used for each arm without involving a departure from the broad principles of my invention, though the single band, as shown and before described, is preferred.

In practice I prefer to secure the plate a against the under side of a ceiling, window sill, or other suitable support, with the fixed drum and carrier depending vertically. In this case the deflected part J 3 of the bracket J guides the rope to a vertical position, as will be understood.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the fixed drum, a revolving carrier provided with a rope-pulley, a governing-arm pivotally supported on said carrier, and a brake-band of spring metal adapted to engage on the fixed drum and hav-' ing an outward tension, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the fixed drum and the carrier provided with a rope-pulley and the brake-band, of the two governingarms pivotally supported 'on the carrier and having their outer ends extended in opposite circumferential directions, whereby the de scent may be regulated with either direction of rotation of the carrier, substantially as set forth.

3. A fire-escape comprising a fixed drum, a brake-carrier provided with a rope-pulley, the governing-arms pivotally supported on said carrier in different vertical planes and having their outer ends extended in different circumferential directions, and the brake band wrapped several times around the fixed drum and secured at its extremities to the governing-arms, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the fixed drum, the revolyin g carrier provided with a pulley having rope-engaging surfaces F g, the retainingring placed over said pulley and adapted to hold the rope in contact with said surfaces, and the governing-arms supported on said carrier, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the fixed drum, the

carrier provided with a rope-pulley, the gov erning-arms pivotally supported on saidcarrier and extended 1n opposite circumferential directions and provided with hooks d, and the brake-band wound on the fixed dru hi and provided at its extremities with loops or eyes 0 and engaged with the hooks d, all substantially as and for the purposes specified.

(i. The combination of the fixed druin having a shaft, A, extended from its outer end, the carrier journaledon said shaft and provided with a rope-pulley, the governingarins pivotally supported at their inner ends on said earrier and having their outer ends extended in opposite circumferential direction, and the brake-band, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with the carrier having the governing-arms and brake-band supported at its inner end, and provided at its outer end with separate teeth 1', of the disk G, having teeth 9, correspondingwith teeth 9. The combination of the fixed drum, the

revolving carrier provided with a pnlleyhaving rope-engaging surfaces, the retainingring placed over said pulley and adapted to hold the rope in contact with said surfaces, and the guide-bracket connected with the retaining ring, substantially in the manner described, whereby the said ring is held firinlyin desired position, substantially as set forth.

10. The herein-described fire-escape, consisting of the hollow fixed drum, the shaft A, extended outward from within said drum. the carrier having boxing b, journaled on the shaft A and extended within the boxing, the teeth 1*, formed on the outer end of the carrier, and the extension f, proj eeted therefrom, the brakearms I) 1), having hooks d, the band E, having loops or eyes 0, the disk G, having teeth y, the retaining-ring 1, having eccentric depending extension provided with opening I, and the guide-bracket provided at its lower end with lateral extension J having openings J J and with stud J flproj ected through opening 1, all arranged substantially as set forth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NE\V)[AN .T. POYVELL.

\Vitnesses:

S. I. Bnaxsox, '\V. J. CULLOM. 

